Improving Tax Increment Financing (TIF) for Economic Development

“This report will be the ‘go-to’ resource for public policy practitioners, municipal officials, and worldwide local development officers for two reasons. First, it is written by a globally respected expert with vast experience in local tax policy analysis. Secondly, after a comprehensive review of prior research, the author produces lessons from the past to design concrete solutions and action points for the future property tax reform measures. It will also be a premier source for teaching local government finance and urban policy and planning, since students will easily acquire a comprehensive understanding of TIF districts by reading this manuscript.”

— Margie Cusack, Research Manager, International Association of Assessing Officers

In the most comprehensive assessment of tax increment financing (TIF) with practical policy recommendations, economist David Merriman reviews more than 30 studies and offers guidance for local policy makers and practitioners. The report explains how TIF districts work, illustrates TIF use with case studies from around the country, describes TIF’s potential benefits and pitfalls, and reviews a large body of academic work that evaluates TIF’s effects on economic development.

About the Author

David F. Merriman is a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and directs the Fiscal Futures Project, a comprehensive and consistently defined measure of the Illinois state budget.